In the spring, the crew of the «Trøndergut» bring their fishing nets ashore and haul the gun on bord in preparation for the whaling season, which lasts from May to July.
«Cod fishing and minke whaling provide
a perfect combination for us,» says Bjørn Hugo Bendiksen from
Reine, a tiny fishing village of 400 in the Lofoten Islands, just north
of the Arctic Circle. Together with his father and two brothers he operates
the «Trøndergut», a fishing vessel with a total crew
of six. «The cod are abundant here during the winter and all the
boats go after them, but in the summer there are fewer fish along the coast,
and it becomes more difficult to find employment for the boat and crew,»
he explains.
Photo shows three generations of the Bendiksen family on the quay with their boat, the "Trøndergut". They make a living from both fishing and whaling. (Click the image for full-size version)
At 65 feet long, the «Trøndergut» is a couple of feet shorter than the average length of the just over 30 fishing boats licensed to take part in the minke whale hunt. Most of the vessels come from the Lofoten Islands, and all are family busines-ses, with the owners working on board.
The minke whale, as the smallest of the baleen whales, did not yield enough oil to interest the whale oil industry, which first appeared in the northern Atlantic in the form of Dutch expeditions in the 1500s. The hunting of minkes did not start until the late 1920s, when Norwegian coastal fishermen had their boats fitted with engines. As far as the minke whale harvest is concerned, the meat has always been the most important product.
Today, the minke whale harvest is strictly regulated. The total quota is fixed by the Norwegian authorities with the help of the IWC's quota calculation model which is based on the precautionary principle, and each boat is then awarded its own quota which must be taken within a certain area. Pursuant to IWC rules, Norway lodged a reservation against the IWC whaling moratorium. In 1997, the total quota was 580 minkes. Most are taken from the North-east Atlantic stock, estimated in 1996 by the IWC's Scientific Committee at 112,000. Since 1930, the annual catch has averaged about 2,000,
A veterinary inspector is aboard each vessel, and the gunners are required to pass a marksman's test each year. In recent years, pre-season courses have been held to ensure that all participants have a thorough knowledge of current regulations and of the demands made on the actual kill itself.
The «Trøndergut» is equipped with a satellite navigation system, radar and sonar, but this sophisticated equipment cannot be used in the search for whales. Only the naked eye serves this purpose well enough. Minke whales are hard to spot, particularly in rough seas, and on a typical hunt more thin half the time will be spent waiting for suitable weather conditions.
«Patience is the hunter's most important quality,» says
Bjørn Hugo.